The Giant Hands eBook

A hea-vi-ly la-den wag-gon creaks along the wind-ing
road, co-ver-ed with a tilt as white as snow; but
what has it in-side? You can peep and see:
beau-ti-ful ta-bles and chairs, and sides of ba-con,
and geese and chick-ens, and fair round chees-es,
and rolls of gold-en but-ter, with white eggs peep-ing
through the bars of their wick-er pris-on. Where
is the wag-gon go-ing? To mar-ket, per-haps:
ask the youth who is trudg-ing by its side, with a
smil-ing, hap-py face, rud-dy with health and the
warm tinge of the sun.

[Illustration: Thetriumphantreturn.]

Why, I de-clare that it is Wil-lie, grown quite stout
and strong! Where is he go-ing with that well-stored
wag-gon, which real-ly has no hor-ses to draw it,
and yet it goes for-ward at a pret-ty pace? Why,
I do be-lieve that the gi-ant hands are drag-ging
it along!

It is Wil-lie, in-deed; and, joy-ous mo-ment! he is
go-ing home. In his pock-et he has much bright
sil-ver, the pro-duce of his la-bour: the con-tents
of the wag-gon shows the farm-er’s gra-ti-tude
to Wil-lie for his promp-ti-tude, en-er-gy, and in-dus-try;
and, more than all, for his risk-ing his life to save
that of his dar-ling child.

At last the cot-tage path is reach-ed. His mo-ther
is stand-ing at the gate: Wil-lie shouts; such
a heart-y shout! His mo-ther looks up-on him,
but can-not speak: he is soon in her arms.

That night they sat late be-side their blaz-ing hearth:
a-midst the smoke might now be seen a large well-filled
pot bub-bling with some-thing more than wa-ter in
it.

How much Wil-lie had to tell his mo-ther of his la-bour,
and what he ow-ed to the won-der-ful gi-ant hands,
pre-serv-ing him through all dan-gers, and e-ver yield-ing
him as-sist-ance!

Wil-lie’s mo-ther smi-led up-on him, as he con-clu-ded
his nar-ra-tive, with a kiss.

“Dear child,” said she, “you have
been in-deed for-tu-nate; but you were de-serv-ing.
That which ap-pears to you as a mi-ra-cle is none.
Those gi-ant hands have been known to ma-ny:
their pow-er is e-nor-mous; they al-ways as-sist the
will-ing and the good; the re-ward they be-stow is
cer-tain; they are the pow-er-ful hands of In-dus-try.

THE END.

ROUTLEDGE’S EVERLASTING BOOKS,

Printedoncloth.

* * * *
*

In Super-royal, 8vo, price Sixpence each on Paper,
or printed on Cloth, One Shilling, with Cloth Cover.